Animals
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Bizarro Earth

Invasion of the moths: Britain under siege from toxic caterpillars that can cause asthma attacks, vomiting and infections

Colin Drury
The Independent
Sun, 29 Apr 2018 00:00 UTC
London invasion processionary moths
London is under siege by an invasion of processionary moths.

A plague of toxic caterpillars which can cause life-threatening asthma attacks, severe vomiting and skin rashes have invaded the UK, environment officials have warned.

The larva of oak processionary moths have been spotted across the south-east of England.

And with more than 600 nests appearing in parks and gardens, the Royal Forestry Society has warned: "It's time to be vigilant."

But how dangerous are the creatures and what is the best way to protect against them?
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Binoculars

Green heron from North America turns up in Pembrokeshire, Wales


BBC
Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:21 UTC
Green Heron
© Richard StonierGreen Heron at Llanmill
A rare green heron, native to north and central America, has been spotted in Wales for what is believed to be only the second time.

The bird turned up in the garden of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart, in Llanmill, near Narberth, Pembrokeshire.

Posting an image on Twitter, he wrote: "Completely amazed to welcome a green heron to west Wales."

Naturalist Iolo Williams said the sighting was "exceptionally rare".

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Better Earth

Dolphin takes down Australian paddleboarder in incredibly well-timed stunt


RT
Sun, 29 Apr 2018 09:30 UTC
Dolphins
© Gary Cameron / ReutersA pair of dolphins leaping over Atlantic waves.
Jaw-dropping footage from Western Australia shows what may be the beginning of a dolphin uprising against humanity. In the video, one member of a gang of the mammals unexpectedly launches a full-body assault on an innocent man.

Paddleboarder Andrew Hill, 54, was enjoying the surf Friday afternoon when he noticed a pod of dolphins bearing down on him near Gracetown, a coastal town approximately 270 kilometers (167 miles) south of Perth.

"Eight or nine of them decided to catch that wave and surf straight at me, which has happened lots of times in the past to me and generally they just take off to one side left or right," Hill told Perth Now.
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Attention

Elephant tramples 2 to death in Odisha, India


Odisha TV
Sat, 28 Apr 2018 16:34 UTC
Charging elephant
© GettyCharging elephant
Two elderly persons, including a woman, were trampled to death by an elephant at Makarkenda village in Rairakhol of Sambalpur district on Friday night.

The deceased have been identified as Sambhu Bhoi (65) and Daimati Bhoi (70).

After getting information about the presence of a herd of elephants in the area, Daimati had gone to the house of Sambhu to sleep yesterday. Daimati, who had a poor vision, was attacked by an elephant after she came out of the house. Later, the pachyderm entered into the house and trampled Sambhu to death while he was sleeping.

Sources said, villagers are having sleepless night as a herd of elephants has been camping in the area for last few days.
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Attention

Dead Bryde's whales keep washing up in Mossel Bay, South Africa - 3 in 2 weeks


Nigeria Today
Wed, 25 Apr 2018 09:09 UTC
dead whale
After three Bryde's whales died off Mossel Bay's coast in the past two weeks alone, an investigation is now underway by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF) to figure out why, reports Times LIVE:

Bryde's whales are divided into an inshore and an offshore form, and the latest assessment of the species by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) classified the inshore form as "Vulnerable" and the offshore form as "Data Deficient":

And the three that washed up along the shores of Mossel Bay were of the inshore form, all dying from suspected entanglement [above]:
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Info

Unique hybrid population: Promiscuous monkeys discovered mating with other species

Colin Drury
Independent
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:17 UTC
A blue monkey
© AlamyA blue monkey
When it comes to finding a partner, monkeys are not necessarily so picky they insist a mate comes from the same species.

New genetic research suggests that primates in Tanzania are so promiscuous they will happily cross the species divide.

The study shows red-tailed and blue monkeys living in Gombe National Park regularly get together - despite being entirely separate creatures with entirely different looks and social structures.

It is the first time that such cross-divide mating has been proven among guenon monkeys.
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Attention

One in eight bird species are at risk of being wiped out, researchers warn

Joe Pinkstone
Daily Mail
Mon, 23 Apr 2018 12:19 UTC
Puffins could be consigned to the history books as a report has found that it is one of the 40 per cent of bird species that are in decline.
Puffins could be consigned to the history books as a report has found that it is one of the 40 per cent of bird species that are in decline. One in eight is at risk of global extinction
Forty per cent of all bird species are in decline and one in eight is at risk of global extinction, according to a new report.

Iconic birds such as the snowy owl, turtle dove and the puffin are all struggling to survive and humans are to blame for the shrinking numbers, scientists warn.

Agriculture and logging are the main culprits, with climate change and hunting also a major concern.

Despite some limited conservation success over the past decade, the global crisis is worsening, scientists said.
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Attention

Peeved pachyderms: Elephant kills 3 people in as many days in Nepal

Shankar Acharya
The Kathmandu Post
Mon, 16 Apr 2018 12:23 UTC
Charging elephant
© GettyCharging elephant
An adult male elephant at Parsa National Park (PNP) has killed three persons in the last three days. Just two days after killing Sadhu Kamalesh Giri on Thursday, the wild tusker attacked and killed Saga Bahadur Dong and Manmohan Dhakal on Saturday.

Haribhadra Acharya, the park's chief conservation officer, said the elephant has been wandering around Rambhauribhatha area for the past few weeks.

Sadhu Kamalesh, who was living in the forest for meditation, was killed on Thursday morning. His body was discovered on Friday.

Dong, a resident of Thori-4, Parsa, and Dhakal, who hailed from Manahari, Makwanpur, were attacked as they were visiting a fair on the New Year's day.

Comment: Elsewhere in just the past week wild elephants have killed a woman in Botswana, 2 children in Zimbabwe, 2 women in separate incidents in Tamil Nadu, India and cyclist in Bengal.

When taken in conjunction with the following selection of additional reports over the last year or so, it all seems to indicate an increasing trend of attacks lately.

Rogue elephant kills 15 people over a month in India

Two killed by elephant in West Bengal, India; 108 such deaths across the state in 2016

Wild elephant kills 4 in Tamil Nadu, India

Wild elephant kills two in Karnataka, India

Elephant kills 2 and injures 5 in Nepal

Woman killed by elephant at Kruger National Park, South Africa

As regards the 2nd report listed above it's also worth bearing in mind that 108 fatalities due to elephant attacks in just one state of India over a year does seem extremely high given the fact that some other sources claim that elephants kill a total of around 500 or 600 people annually across the world.

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Attention

Dolphin found dead near Wellington, New Zealand - 3rd for the area in 2018

Ged Cann
Stuff
Fri, 20 Apr 2018 10:43 UTC
Department of Conservation workers collected the body of a dolphin found in Pauatahanui inlet just outside Wellington.
© Department of ConservationDepartment of Conservation workers collected the body of a dolphin found in Pauatahanui inlet just outside Wellington.
A dolphin has been found dead in Pauatahanui inlet just outside Wellington.

The cause of death was unknown, and the body would be shipped to Otago University Marine team for inspection.

Department of Conservation (DOC) Wellington operations manager Jack Mace said the adult male was the third such discovery in Wellington this year.

"In this instance, a karakia was performed at the beach and Ngāti Toa Rangatira have approved the dolphin being sent to Otago University for teaching and research purposes."
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Attention

Dead humpback whale found in cove at Lubec, Maine

Fred Bever
Bangor Daily News
Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:38 UTC
A dead humpback whale was found floating in a Lubec cove, and scientists are eager to find the cause of its demise.
© ALLIED WHALE, COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTICA dead humpback whale was found floating in a Lubec cove, and scientists are eager to find the cause of its demise.
A dead humpback whale was found floating in a Lubec cove, and scientists are eager to find the cause of its demise. The discovery comes at a time of increasing mortality rates for the species.

People who have seen the whale estimate it's about 26 feet long. Ralph Dennison, the Lubec Harbormaster, visited the shore at Boot Cove, near Quoddy Head, to get a view of the animal.

"It was just starting to get kind of bloated," Dennison said. "It had a seagull on it, starting to eat some of the carcass, and there was some eagles flying around, and bits of it starting to wash to shore. That wasn't pretty, but that's the way nature is, I guess."

Dennison, who also captains a whale watch boat, said that judging from the large size of this whale's pectoral fins, it was likely a humpback.
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